ballcare

Introduction:

This shy snake is truly one of our favorites, and can make an excellent long time friend. On this page we will try to provide all the information we know and keep it simple as well. Read on and enjoy... They are more often called "Ball" pythons, their scientific name is python regius. The Ball nickname came from the way they sometimes act ~ they are shy snakes by nature who, when startled or not used to people will tightly ball their bodies up and hide their head until they think their life is no longer in danger! They are not the type of snake who is high-strung and alert,and so will 9 1/2 times out of 10 hide their head rather than ever try to strike out. A royal python may also emit a low, soft hiss if nervous or frightened ~ I have never seen one follow up on this and it is not a scary thing as long as you understand that your snake is saying maybe I don't want to be held right now, or by this person I don't know - in our opinion they have this right. After you've had your snake a little while you will start to be able to read their moods and body language. Overall they are slow moving (great lap pythons) and very gentle.

What do they look like and how big do they get?

Royal pythons are in our opinion a very beautiful snake, they are patterned with large gold shapes sometimes thinly edged with white on a rich, dark brown background. Their bellies are an unmarked cream to white. This is their natural, wild coloration ~ there are also albinos that have occured in the wild that have now been reproduced in captivity to create some very beautiful yellow and white animals. Other variations are also available (piebald and ghost and others) but these are still fairly new in captivity and are available only through a limited number of breeders and are still quite expensive. Royal pythons, I think, are literally the perfect size...can you tell by now how biased I am?! A baby or "hatchling" royal is about 13" to 15" long. If fed properly (we'll go over this further down) they will grow at a nice steady pace to become a nice sturdy round youngster. We have noticed all our snakes seem to grow in two different "spurts" sometimes getting very rounded and chunky looking then thinning out and getting a bit longer then back to chunky again ~ you may notice this too! At full growth or adulthood your royal will be the perfect size! They usually top out at about just under 4 feet to 5 feet (females of this species are larger than the males). An adult royal will weigh anywhere from about 31/2 to 61/2 pounds ~ nice for cuddling :) They have smallish heads and a somewhat narrow neck wich gradually opens up to a nice wide, round body which tapers to a blunt tail. This is why we think they are the perfect python, especially for those who really enjoy holding their snakes, they are big, but not too big, gentle, and slow moving.

How much do they cost?

This is a factor that can vary an awful lot. Generally they are a very inexpensive snake that is often priced very low, but it depends upon what color they are and how they were obtained ~let me explain: every year Africa exports tons of babies and adults that are gravid (this means a female that is ready to lay eggs). These "collected" animals are shipped all over the world to pet stores and retailers. Gravid females or clutches of eggs are sometimes collected and the eggs incubated and hatched in large facilities, these resulting babies are listed as "farmed" or "captive hatched -captive raised". All royals from these sources are not your "best" choice, they were brought out of the wild and therefore are expected to have ticks, mites, internal parasites, and to be in questionable health. This is also an animal that has endured being caught, then kept (often improperly), shipped (often several times over to here and there) and is not used to captivity or human touch. That said, I will tell you that the ball python you see at the petshop is usually from this source. It is possible to obtain these animals and de-worm them, clean them up and give them all the proper care and turn out with a great animal but they do not always respond well and a BIG factor with these guys is...stress. If you are not too experienced with snakes go with this second option: There are now quite a few people who captive breed royal pythons and offer the babies for sale. Buying a baby from this source usually ensures you that this is a healthy baby who is eating well and has had human contact and never exposed to all the parasites and diseases that a wild snake endures. A captive bred adult is often well established and was someones pet or part of their group they no longer wish to keep, and depending on the animal, can also be an excellent choice. These captive bred animals will be priced a fraction higher than the imported ones but eliminates most of the worries you will have with a wild snake. Another price factor is what color royal you want ~ a normal colored royal is never priced very high but there are some rare color variations that run into the thousands of dollars...you will see this as you shop around. The rarer colors are very expensive because royal pythons are not frequent breeders (often skipping a year) and have small clutches of eggs ~ sometimes as few as only four! So what exactly can you expect to pay? (This is for normal colored animals only since we do not deal with any rare colored animals and couldn't truthfully quote any prices) You will pay between $35 to $65 dollars for a healthy captive bred baby ball python, not including many sources like classifieds, herp expos and shows, herp clubs and the like who often sell their offspring for a bit less.

What do I look for when shopping for my new friend?

If you are not ordering one from someone but rather choosing one in person here are some things you should look for. When you are looking at perhaps a couple of babies or a whole tank full, look for one who's body is round, the backbone may be barely discernable but should NOT be prominent or noticeable. It's skin should be free of cuts, burns or patches of missing scales. The eyes,unless preparing to go into a shed cycle should be clear and with no puffiness around the rims (mites like to hide around the eyes and a heavily infested snake may have puffy looking rims of it's eyes). I always ask to hold the animal, this gives you a chance to feel his muscle tone, and see how he acts. Baby royals are not as muscular as an adult but it should never feel limp in your hand. It should have some movement, maybe looking around, flicking it's tongue perhaps. If it does stay in a tight ball instead, it may be scared and you can gently examine him by turning him around, it may even come undone if given a few minutes of quiet holding. Look at the underbelly, the scales should all be laying flat and it should appear to be almost an opal color, babies bellies have almost a pink hue to their bellies, this is normal. Look down the length of the snake, there should not be any lumps or protrusions (these can be injuries like broken ribs or abscesses)it should all look uniform and evenly rounded. Look at the area just where the tail begins to taper, this is the snakes "vent or cloaca" the different looking scales there is where it is. These scales should be laying flat and should be perfectly clean and free of any crusted feces. One more thing you can do is check that this animal can move properly ~ gently place the snake on the floor and give his tail a little tickle, as he crawls check to see that his whole body is moving properly and that he has control of his actions. It should be a smooth back and forth forward movement that looks coordinated. Now try to look very closely around the animals head and facial area, royal pythons have a row of heat pits all along their upper lip, these should be a pink color inside and BEWARE this is a favored hiding spot for clusters of mites and of ticks too! Also look at the snakes nostrils located at the top tip of the nose, they too should be free of any crusting or discharge. You should also check the snakes mouth...this is not as scary as it sounds! Sit with the snake in your lap or have a friend help you gently restrain the whole body (GENTLY~snakes percieve restraint as a threat to their very existence and it scares them)slowly slide your hand up from the lower neck area until you can hold the head still from behind the rounded back of the head. Gently pull down one side of the lower lip while very gently keeping the head still (WARNING royal pythons do NOT enjoy this procedure and will squirm to make it stop ~ it may take a few tries) if you can get the lip to come down enough to give you a quick glimpse into the mouth area look for any clumpy or gooey looking white or yellow matter, it should be clean and grayish pink with tiny white to clear teeth. After all this you can ask if you are holding a girl or a boy! If you are looking for a companion this will not be important, there is no noticeable (to us) difference in appearance or temperment between the two sexes. If you are buying from a breeder, chances are he or she will already have that animal marked as to what sex it is or has the experience or tools to check it for you. If you are buying one from a pet store chances are they may not know what it is and neither will you. You can always take the animal to a qualified snake keeper or veterinarian to have the sex determined for you.

What will I need to take care of my Ball Python?

This is the fun part, and there are many approaches! You may choose to have a zoo-like setting with trees, plants, a small pool of water and a coconut hut for him to hide in or you can simply choose a glass tank with a screen cover, newspaper at the bottom and an upside-down plastic flower pot with a hole to enter! You must keep in mind to only go as complicated as you can afford and that you are willing to keep nice and clean for your snake...this is very important to their health, happines and the pride in keeping a clean, odor free snake in your house ~and for everyone who lives there too!! Generally royal pythons are wonderful too because they are not a snake that defecates frequently. Their bodies are designed to absorb as much as possible out of a food item and there is comparitively little waste. When they do go there will be some solid chunks, some white urine crystal masses and sometimes some wetness too. When choosing what sort of home you'll provide your python, there are some things that you will HAVE TO provide! Your best bet to start is a glass aquarium ~ this can be a leaker which can be obtained a little cheaper at the store, and an appropriately sized screen lid which secures to the tank. You can also use an appropriate sized sweaterbox type plastic storage box ventilated with air holes (these are less visually appealing, but can also meet all of the needs of a snake). Many companies make a front opening plastic molded cage designed to house snakes (these cost a little more than the other two options but you decide how you wanna go!) Whichever you choose, it must safely contain the snake but also allow ventilation and ease of cleaning. At the bottom...whatever you choose lay on the bottom of your enclosure is referred to as "substrate". There are companies which make little pre-cut squares of reptile carpeting, these are pretty inexpensive and allow you to lift one out when soiled and replace with a clean, and can be cleaned and used over and over. Newspaper can be laid down instead, it is cheap or FREE and is just thrown away when soiled, this is safe and effective for you & your snake! You can choose some of the tree bark type bagged bedding or bagged pet pine chip bedding or aspen shavings...however never use CEDAR CHIPS these contain oils (that's what your smelling) that are NOT safe to keep a snake on. Keep in mind too that when you feed your snake on these substances you offer the chance of particles being stuck to prey and being ingested...this can cause serious health problems. It is always possible to remove a royal python and feed it in a plain plastic tub if you really want this type of bedding, but your snake must be willing to feed this way. You will more than likely change options a few times before you find out what set-up works best for both of you! A water bowl is a must and should be in with your python at all times. You will graduate in water bowl size as your little python grows ~ one tip is these are heavy bodied snakes that sometimes like to climb on the bowl so make it a crock type heavy bowl to avoid spills! We do not find that royals like to soak at all, but do love fresh clean water to drink just like we do, so change it often. Now to keep your friend from ever being chilly...heat sources come in many options also ~ like an under the tank heat pad set on low under 1/3 of the tank or box, with a thin washcloth or hand towel over the pad to prevent things from getting too warm. Togo & Elsa (our 4yr old male and our 4 mth old female)have no complaints with this set-up and are absolutely thriving! When using a glass tank (not a sweaterbox) we also have a hanging overhead single heat bulb. Full spectrum day bulbs for day time and red nocturnal lights for at night. It is our understanding that royals require no artificial lighting for their health these are for supplemental heat only and that's because we live in the mountains of Pennsylvania where it is always cool, you will have to decide how much heat you must provide, dependent on your location, house heat etc. Overall you want to achieve one warm side of about 85 degrees and warm belly heat (check it with your own hand, it should be warm not hot!)and there should be a cooler side of the enclosure, sometimes they "wanna be cool" ~ about 78 degrees with no underbelly heat. This is only what has worked for us well. There is heat tape you apply to the bottom of tanks and boxes (I am not familiar with these methods enough to reccomend them)and there are radiant heat panels as well. You will find many methods as you see products and read many techniques of others, it is always a learning process... that's what's so great about our hobby. Since we are talking about heat I should mention also that you should have a couple thermometers in different areas of the enclosure to ensure that you are keeping the proper temps: these too come in a couple of styles but are essential and very affordable. Last but not least you chose a shy animal who in the wild would hide in rodent burrows when not actively hunting. Although, if well adjusted, royals will lay out in the open and rest they must also absolutely have a dark, snug place in which to take shelter. "Hide boxes" can also be made out of a lot of things, whether you would like to buy a neat looking artificial cave type box, or just turn a sturdy,clean cardboard box upside-down make sure it is big enough for your snake to enter and get himself curled up in but at the same time be snug enough to make him feel secure! A royal python that feels safe is happy and will eat well for you!

Now, what are you going to feed it?

If you want a python for a friend you must know that it will require small mammals and never salads to eat. Baby royals will start off feeding on small fuzzy mice and eventually grow to a feeding of either several adult mice or small to medium rats. These can be mail ordered already frozen and bagged to be thawed out, warmed and fed or live feeder animals can be bought at pet stores which supply them for reptile owners. Prey should always be either of the frozen/thawed variety or at least fresh killed or knocked out. In captivity a snake doesn't always lash out and grab it's prey, live mice and rats are not as fearful of the snake as one would think and can inflict very damaging bites to a hapless snake, if you must feed live because your snake will not accept non-live food always be present to monitor what happens, if the snake shows no interest remove the mouse and try at a later time. By the time you have decided that you may indeed want a royal python you may have heard many things said about eating problems related to them, there are many differing methods to enticing poor feeders, however at this I would probably advise you to do this: buy a book called "The Ball Python Manual" by Phillippe de Vosjoli and Dave & Tracy Barker, it is an item that every keeper of royal pythons should have on hand and offers many tips and techniques that are too long to fit on this little herp site. I can say that at all stages of life we have offered ours one or two appropriately sized mice or rats one night a week (feed time around here is every Wednesday night...and they know it!)and they have had excellent growth and health without being pushed along too quickly or becoming obese.

Conclusion:

We simply couldn't hope to begin to cover all the minor details relating to the care of this species on one page. But if you read everything you can find, talk to people who keep these snakes (we have a message board right here!)and learn everything you can and then apply it~you will have great success! If we can ever help anyone we would be glad to reply and offer any help that we can, so email us, or post in our forums or guest book, we'll get back to you probably pretty quick! Thanks for visiting us at Happy Herps